Top 5 Reasons for Not Discussing Sensitive Topics in Your MBA Personal Statement
There are a lot of MBA applicants who get carried away when writing their personal statements. Global news happening around you are good topics, but do not commit the blunder of talking like a news reporter. There is actually no limitations as to what topic you can discuss in your essay, as long as it is relevant and will let you show a side of yourself to the admissions panel.
However, there are certain things that are better not discussed in an MBA personal statement, such as controversial themes that have been debated upon since time immemorial. These sensitive topics can also include issues that involve a lot of ethical questions. Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t discuss sensitive topics in your MBA personal statement.
Reason #1: It would probably offend somebody in the admissions panel.
It is so easy to come across as preachy when writing an essay, and if you include a line that goes “I think women who go for abortions are very selfish,” then your personal statement is living dangerously. What if a member of the admissions committee has just undergone an abortion, or a family member of hers? She may be objective, but she would find it very hard to like you. If you have to mention a sensitive theme, avoid being judgemental; you can simply narrate how your friend’s abortion has made you decide on a crucial action.
Reason #2: It might reveal very little about you as a prospective MBA student.
Take note that an admission essay is not a mere recitation of your political or ethical thoughts. What the admissions officers expect is to see in the essay the writer’s capability of analyzing themes and discussing issues effectively while still keeping the relevance of such issues to the main topic of the essay.
Reason #3: It might destroy your essay’s coherence.
If you have a paragraph in your essay saying that a certain political candidate should not have won the recent elections, you need to elaborate on it, and chances are, the resulting supporting statements would simply reveal your political inclination, and nothing else. It would distract the readers from your main topic and goal, which is to make them see that you deserve a slot at their school. Plus, it’ll make your essay
unnecessarily longer. There are two main questions that you need to ask yourself if you are intent on discussing a sensitive topic in the essay. First is, will it make your essay more interesting? And second, is this theme very meaningful that it has to be included?
Reason #4: It might make you look like you’re trying to impress the panel.
There are certain topics that require a clever way of discussing them. If your only goal in discussing a sensitive topic in your essay is to impress the panel, then you might want to stop and think about it first. It’s good to make a good impression on the panel by showing off your writing skills. However, choosing a topic that you’re not really interested in but sounds controversial is never a good idea.
Reason #5: Some topics may not be sensitive, but should be avoided as well.
These are the topics that are so hard to analyze or discuss within a two-page essay. Complex topics that require much analytical skills should be avoided when writing an MBA personal statement. After all, you don’t want to give the admissions panel members a headache.
Sensitive or controversial essay topics may grab the attention of the readers but you should be able to discuss them effectively in your essay. To come up with a winning essay, you should know the type of topics to avoid. When choosing a topic, make sure that you are interested in it, you have some personal experiences to back it up, and that it is relevant to the essay questions or your goal, which is to convince the readers regarding your application.
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